Her Dark Hour: Butterfly Effect
by Daxam S. Loken
Summary: With Minato's friends finding resolution in their lives, Philomen resolves to find a better solution. By changing one element, how do we change the outcome?
1. Chapter 1: Butterfly Effect

**Chapter 1: Butterfly Effect**

The afternoon was _glorious!_ She strode through the city, smiling slightly, stopping to listen to the curious conversations people were having. A shame she wasn't staying longer, but that was that, wasn't it. She prayed the city she was heading to was as lively as this. She wondered what the people there were going to be like, what school would be like.

_Not that it matters to you,_ said the snide voice inside her mind, _Does anything truly matter to you?After all, no one else sees that hour._

She closed her eyes, brushing a hand through her short, auburn hair. She ignored the voice, focusing on the music in her ears, and she sang along softly to herself.

"_Wiping all out, I won't go, until it's over,"_ she grinned at the words. They were good, vivacious lyrics, with a damn catchy tune. She flicked the repeat button on her mp3 player and listened to the song again, and smiled at the beginning beat, and moving in time to the rhythm of the song. She enjoyed the ambience of this place, remembering with slight annoyance how her previous school hadn't been quite so warm and welcoming.

She checked her watch and her good mood almost evaporated.

"Crap! The train!" she sprinted, eliciting come cat calls from a group of boys across the street. Probably from the tightness of her shirt. She ignored them, focusing intently on the train. She flashed her card over the turnstile, ran straight through and saw the tail end of the train screaming away from her. She exaggeratedly shrugged her shoulders, making a show of her annoyance.

"Ah," she shrugged, "Might as well have a look around." The next train was almost an hour and a half way, at ten. She found her mind wandering to think of the people she was going to meet, as she wandered along the station, and blinked as a tiny shimmer of blue landed on her shoulder.

"Well, I've never seen anything like you before," she murmured at the butterfly. It seemed to shiver, then turned and waltzed away through the air. She followed it's path, watching the sapphire coloured creature disappear in the sky.

* * *

She turned the tap on, splashing cold water on her face. She felt the anxiety build up in her, threatening to overcome her. She fell to her knees, the tap still running. She sat back, her breath heavy. She raised it, the thing causing such distress, her eyes taking in the details in horrified fascination. The intricate little decoration on the side plate of the device, the beautiful work of the handle.

She shook, and raised it, levelling it against her temple. She felt the metal slip against her brow. She almost activated it. The paroxysms of fear in her caused her to drop it, and she shook. How could they look down on her for not being able to do! They surely must have seen what it looks like?

She sobbed, despairing at her weakness, her curse, her inability to use this... _thing._

_

* * *

_

The train rattled along the tracks, slowing to a halt. She glanced up at the tannoy, the faint rasp of static heralding the announcement.

"_The Train is now pulling into Iwotodai Station. We apologise for the delay, and hope you have a pleasant day."_

_There was a delay?_ She thought, checking her watch. Almost midnight.

The train finally stopped, the doors opened, and the last passengers, commuters finally returning home after a long day's work stepped off, yawning, practically asleep. She strode along, watching the second hand tick away on the clock of the station. It was reaching midnight just around now, and she watched the monitors around the station. She stood, unmoving for a few seconds, listening to the final bars of music that would play today.

The station's main clock ticked, the thin bar of the second hand inching ever closer to the...

"_So write me an-"_

The lights in the station died. The screens and monitors gave a final flash of light, then sputtered into darkness. The air seemed to haze over with black mist, and the moonlight took on a green, dead glow. It looked like a photo negative. She sighed, moving amongst the coffins that inhabited the hour. They were an obsidian black, edged in dark gold, inscribed with thin, spidery script. Their bases glowed crimson, as if covering over a hellish light. She tapped it experimentally, and shrugged. It sounded hollow.

The clock, now stilled, was half covered in crimson, and the numerals were illegible beneath the blood that flowed freely down it's face, and dripped loudly on the tiled floor. Reflected in the rapidly growing lake of red, the moon was visible, glowing yellow.

The dorm was a short way away, definitely within walking distance, according to the tattered map she held. She edged around a pool of blood, frowning at it, eager not to touch it bump into the coffins. She always wondered why she could move during this hour, why no else could. It was always so lonely. She sighed, perking herself up, trying to make herself think positively. It was only for an hour, wasn't it? That wasn't too long to bear.

She reached the tall dorm house. It was a tall, four storey building, a little old fashioned, but homely enough. She opened the doors, stepping through into her new home, and smiled.

She looked around, taking in the main lounge. The darkness shrouded the further reaches of the room, and it seemed quite large. She wondered how much longer it would be til the hour faded into real time.

"You're late." She blinked in surprise, not expecting to hear a voice in this hour. She turned, looking at a pale, thin child sitting at the desk. He looked bored, leaning his head on his hands.

"I've been waiting a long time," he continued. He had short, messy blackish-blue hair, that almost hid his eyes. They were twin, concentric circles of blue. His irises were pinpricks, as if he was staring into a bright light. He was watching her intently.

She frowned at him, "What? Do you live here as well?" The boy shook his head, smiling.

"If you want to proceed," he snapped his fingers, and he was standing beside her, holding a black pen out to her, "Then please, sign this contract." She looked at the red sleeved paper, containng a single page of thick, cream coloured paper with three lines of text.

_All that I do, I do of my own free will._

_I choose my fate, of my own free will._

_No other entity, mortal or not, corporeal or disembodied may decide it._

She looked at him. He grinned, "Don't worry. All it means is that you will take full responsibility for your actions. You know, the usual stuff." He seemed cheerful at the prospect of having her sign this contract, but sounded extremely sinister, as if he had some deeper meaning. She flicked the sole page over, glancing at it to see if there was any fine print. Nothing. Just those three lines.

She shrugged, took the pen, and wrote her name, whispering it softly to herself.

_Reiko Arisato._

_

* * *

_

In the night air, a pair of blue wings landed on the fingers of a pale, tall gentleman. A crooked finger gently stroked the butterfly, before it dissipated in haze of blue gas. The three figures standing opposite the table glanced nervously at him.

"Are you sure that your choice was wise, sir Philomen?"

The figure smiled. It was icy, dead. The smile of a man who knew the motion, but forgot the feeling that went with it. This far into his war, with this many loses of his beloved mankind, why would he know actual joy?

"An altered element in a narrative can drastically alter the scenario's results and outcome, Igor. I want a better result than what we saw with _him._ I want total victory this time."

"I wonder how Nyarlathotep will react. He will see this as deliberate intervention, in direct conflict with the rules," asked the male, who was inspecting the rows of keys embedded in an ebony case, "he might say you're cheating."

The immaculate hands clenched into fists. Gold eyes, gold from lid to lid, narrowed. Blue flames lit along his arm, a visible indicator of the man's rage. The porcelain mask that covered half his face imperceptibly cracked around the edges.

"He doesn't play by the rules. He constantly interferes. I tire of it. I will win this war. By all means," he stood, raising his voice, "I despise him. I despise his deceits, how he tries to ensure Mankind's destruction. They must enlighten themselves, and if I have to give a soft nudge in the right direction, then so be it."

He glanced at all three, azure flames subsiding and a soft, neutral expression on his face returning. The mask healed.

"Give her more power than he had," he murmured, "As my proxies, do everything you can. She must access her potential faster than he did." The three bowed.

* * *

_Author's notes:_

_Well. This is going to be fun. This is not going to be a copy paste job of the male story, because of the way that Reiko Arisato (my name for the female protagonist, using the Arisato surname and a Japanese name which means 'Lovely Child') will interact with the others, her mindset (more positive than Minato's, despite my Minato being quite cheerful and open). This will Update rarely, because I don't have P3P. I simply wanted to write this. By the way, there will not be Answer Fic for this story, because It would be essentially the same as Minato's version, just with minor alterations.  
_

_Yeah, I'm including the experiment between the two Higher Powers in this fic. But it's now gone further than a simple experiment. It's about to be a war now, with Humanity as its pawns._


	2. Chapter 2: Smile and Carry On

**Chapter 2: Smile and Carry On**

As she lifted the pen away to examine her signature, it disappeared from her fingertips. She blinked in surprise, then glanced at the dark haired boy. He lifted the bound contract, and hugged it close to his chest.

"Time delivers us all to the same end. It delivers us all to the same end." He smiled at the rose metal headphones hanging around her neck, "You can't plug your ears and cover your eyes."

Reiko nervously pulled at her headphones, glancing away, "Hey, I don't plug my ears."

The boy smiled, his eyes gleaming mischievously. The lights began to flicker, and the green haze of the Dark Hour receded, rapidly replaced by real light. As the real light ran past the boy, he disappeared.

His voice whispered in her ears, and she pivoted on her foot, staring around. Her hands rose, clenched into fists.

"_And so it begins."_

She glanced around the dorm lounge.

"I'm gonna assume that this is normal, and just carry on," she sighed, and began to sort through her bag. She frowned as she saw it was resting in a thin pool of crimson, and watched the red liquid retreat into the floor.

"And I'll assume that is normal too," Reiko said. She glanced around the room, "I wonder who else is here?"

* * *

She opened the door of her room, and began to quietly step out. She heard the main dorm doors began pushed open, and some odd noises from the lobby. She checked the device at her hip, inspecting its silver sides and enamelling.

She had been told about the creatures that lurked in the darkness, the creatures she had been called upon to fight. It made her a little sick that _she _was essentially doing this at their beck and call, but at least she was out of her damned home, away from her mother.

She crept past _their _rooms, ignoring the sounds from _them. _She didn't need their help. She would show them both that she was able to do this. She would overcome this weakness. The stairs creaked under foot and she leant out to look into the darkened foyer.

There was a strange, squat shape in the centre of the room.

"Who's there!"

She winced at the outcry. Why had she called out like that!

She steeled herself, readied the device, and stepped out into the entrance.

* * *

Reiko started in shock, caught completely off guard. She turned, staring at the gleam of reflected light. A girl stepped out of the shadows. She had long, brown hair, and hazel eyes, displaying worry, staring out at Reiko. Her hand was clamped around a silver shape at her hip. Reiko's eyes focused on it, and her mouth dropped open in shock.

_A gun! How the hell did she get that!_

Reiko gave a nervous half laugh, raising her hands, "Hey, there's no need-" She saw the bar of light flash, the gun raised, and-

"Takeba, wait!"

Reiko saw a second girl standing slightly back from the first. She was half obscured in the shadows, though Reiko could make out long tresses of crimson hair, cascading down past her shoulders, and dark intelligent eyes glimmered in the darkness.

She strode forward, forcing the brunette's hand down, slipping the silver gun down into it's holster. Reiko breathed out a sigh of relief, and the red haired girl stepped forward. Her skin, at least in this light, seemed almost unnaturally pale, like flawless marble.

Reiko was aware of the darkness receding, as the lights flickered into life. Her earphones began to crackle with music. The brunette seemed to calm down in the light, as if a fear of hers had not been realised.

"I didn't realise you'd be arriving so late," said the red haired girl, her hands on her hips. She had an almost regal bearing to her, as if she was an empress of lady of grace.

"Sorry. The trains were delayed. I didn't mean to worry you," Reiko said. Mitsuru shook her head.

"Don't worry. I understand. I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, one of the students who lives in the dorm," the red haired girl responded. Reiko smiled in relief, though the older girl's eyes were disquieting. Mitsuru seemed be to examining her, but her train of thought was interrupted by Mitsuru introducing the brunette.

"This is Yukari Takeba, another student. She's in the same year as you," Mitsuru nodded towards the brunette, who inclined her head towards Reiko.

"Hey..."

Reiko grinned broadly, "I'm Reiko Arisato. A pleasure to meet you." Yukari smiled, then leant close to Mitsuru.

"Who's she?" Yukari murmured to Mitsuru, and Mitsuru whispered back.

"A transfer student. It was a last minute decision to have her sent here," Mitsuru murmured.

"Is it alright for her to be here?" Yukari asked, glancing at Reiko, who seemed intrigued by the furnishings of the dorm's lounge. Mitsuru gave a thin smile.

"I guess we'll see," she murmured, "Reiko. It's getting late. You should head off for bed. Yukari will show you to your room."

"Thanks," Reiko answered, picking up her bags, and stepping past the senior, following Yukari up the stairs.

"So, your room is here, end of the second floor. I guess that makes it pretty easy to remember, right," Yukari said, handing Reiko a key, "And make sure not to lose this. You'll be given hell about it."

Reiko grinned broadly, brushing back her short auburn hair absently, "Thanks, Yukari. I won't, don't worry."

"It's gonna be nice to have someone who isn't Mitsuru around. I'll see you tomorrow," Yukari murmured and turned to leave.

"Hey, does that boy live here too?" Reiko asked, tilting her head to the stairs. Yukari frowned.

"Wha- who?"

"Dark haired boy, big, blue eyes?" Reiko added, "No? Ah, nevermind. Guess I imagined it."

Yukari walked back to Reiko, "Hey, out of interest... Did anything weird or unusual happen to you?"

Reiko cocked her head, thinking. She recalled the darkness, the coffins and blood. She remembered the way the wind howled down the now vacant streets, how the air seemed to become emerald coloured fog and how the light turned sickly and dead.

"No. Nothing at all," she lied, and closed the door behind her. The lock snapped shut, and Yukari was left to stand in the dimly lit corridor. She waited for a moment, then walked back to her room, wondering what to make of her new dormmate.

Reiko sat on the bed, shrugging off the jacket onto her desk, kicked off her boots, and flicked her MP3 on. The tiny LCD screen lit up for a moment, casting her face in a pale blue light, just as the randomly selected song began to ring out.

_It may not be the right time._

"Heh, that's appropriate," she laughed.

_I might not be the right one..._

Reiko drifted off, curling into a loose ball as she lost consciousness.

* * *

"Hey, Reiko, are you awake? Mitsuru sent me to get you up if you weren't already."

Reiko raised her head, rubbing her eyes as she tried to coax herself into waking up. Sunlight streamed in through the window, and she blinked in annoyance.

"I'm... I'm up, 'kay," she drowned, sweeping the creases out of her shirt. She tested her MP3, sighing when she saw the tiny low power signal, and snapped the drained batteries out.

"I'll be out in a second."

She threw on her jacket, tightened the ribbon at her collar and hefted her bag up. A black plastic bottle was pulled out, opened, and Reiko downed the liquid in one, making a face. She knew trying to wake up with an energy drink probably didn't work, but she needed to wash her mouth, wet her throat.

Reiko straightened up, managed a smile, and walked out of the room.

Yukari was waiting outside, bag resting on her shoulder, "Finally, you're up. You still look tired. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just a bit of a trouble sleeping..." Reiko stifled a yawn, "Sorry, I'm not normally up that late." She turned on her the MP3, and grinned.

"What're you listening to?" Yukari asked as they stepped down the stairs.

"Some guy named Michael Buble... Couple of people I knew suggested him. He's pretty good," Reiko explained, tapping the screen of the player.

"Is he American?" Yukari asked, and Reiko shrugged.

"Yeah, I think..." Reiko murmured, and Yukari asked another question.

"So, you can understand English?"

Reiko nodded, "I studied a good bit for a correspondence course at an old school. I've got a lot of song suggestions from friends in America."

"Really... Never heard much music outside of Japan. Maybe you could give me a lend later," Yukari asked, and both of them laughed, "Oh, there was one other thing."

"Yeah."

"About last night. You mind not talking about it with anyone?" Yukari asked, and Reiko nodded.

"Don't worry about it. Don't think anyone would believe me anyways. About you having a gun and all. That for self defense or something?" Reiko murmured. Yukari nodded.

"Yeah, something like that," Yukari answered, though Reiko could see that she wasn't telling the whole truth, "Alright, we'll be taking the train. Come on."

Yukari pulled Reiko along, who groaned as they emerged into the sunlight.

* * *

"Your name should be here, and what class you'll be in," Yukari said, gesturing towards the board, "I've gotta go, but I've been told you need to talk to your homeroom teacher. See you later."

Reiko nodded, feeling the buzz of the drink finally wearing off, and scanned the board as Yukari wandered off.

"The heck is my name?" Reiko muttered, running her finger down the list of names, "Not here, not here, the he- Oh, hey. There it is."

Her name was tacked onto the bottom most papers, a quick scrawl on a note, almost like an afterthought. She noted the teacher's name and class number, Mrs Toriumi, class 2-F.

"Sorry to bother you, but do you know where the Faculty Office is?"

* * *

"'Sup, dude!"

Reiko sat bolt upright, snapping awake instantly.

"Wha- who, sorry?" she mumbled, mind trying to work out what was happening. Reiko turned to see who had called out to her.

"Ha, man, you look like a dear in the headlights."

The boy was leaning on her desk. He was kinda cute, Reiko admitted to herself. He had a strong jawline, a small goatee decorating his chin. He had a broad grin, and his eyes, shadowed under the brim of a baseball cap, gleamed mischievously.

"Sorry, you caught me napping... You are?" Reiko asked, recovering quickly.

"I'm Junpei Iori. I transferred here in eight grade, so I know how tough it is being the new kid," the student explained, offering a hand, "So I thought I'd check up on you, you know, making sure you're not freaking out on your first day."

"Well, thanks for that. I'm Reiko Arisato," Reiko answered.

"Jeez, at it again, Stupei? Honestly, isn't there a girl you wouldn't hit on?"

Reiko turned to see Yukari standing beside her, sighing. Junpei laughed, unperturbed.

"Hey, Yuka-tan, looks like we're in the same class again. What a coincidence, eh?" Junpei said, grinning at Yukari, who simply sighed.

"Yeah... Looks that way," she said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"It must be nice to be in a class with friends," Reiko murmured, half to herself, and Yukari laughed.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Yukari admitted, and Junpei coughed.

"Uh, hey, you do remember I'm here, right?" he asked, frowning, though Reiko could see he was jesting, "Besides, do you two know each other, because you came to school together. The whole school was buzzin' about two cuties like you walking side by side."

He laughed, dodging a swipe from Yukari as she glared at him.

"Cut that out, Stupei. I can't be bothered to deal with rumours like that," she complained, "I mean, I'm fine with it, but what about her? Don't you feel bad about spreading rumours like that?"

Junpei was about to answer when Yukari cut him, "I've gotta take care of some stuff for archery club. Don't you try anything funny, Stupei."

Junpei simply laughed, "Hey, don't worry about it." He waited til Yukari had left then turned to Reiko, sighing exaggeratedly.

"Jeez, what is she your nanny?" he laughed, "But, just to clear it up, I didn't come over here to hit on you. I just wanted you to know, that if you ever have a problem, you can tell your ol'pal Junpei."

Reiko smiled. Such a better start to this year than her previous school. Practically perfect. It even overshadowed... No. She wouldn't think of that.

"Thanks. That means a lot to me."

* * *

_Author's Notes: So, you'll notice this has already taken a radically different turn than His Dark Hour. I wanted to represent Reiko's far more cheerful personality to Minato's, and contrast the behaviour of the two classmates between gender playthroughs. Yukari comes off as a lot nicer in this one, maybe more accepting of a girl her age, who might be normal._

_Updates being written soon! By the way, both Reiko and Minato have similar music tastes to me. If you don't like it, I apologise, but there is no accounting for taste._


End file.
